Newsletter #383 Preview: Despite Everything I Still Like Microsoft

In recent weeks, with my various Ã¢â‚¬Å“Fear-FactorÃ¢â‚¬Â commentaries, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve given Microsoft some well-deserved lumps, and you readers have joined in the fun in our Comments section. Surprisingly, no Microsoft supporters have chimed in to disagree, and I know for certain that you readers are not strictly Mac users.

So I figured it was time to put my cards on the table. You see, as much as I might object to all those outrageous statements from Bill Gates and his old buddy Steve Ballmer, Microsoft has lots and lots of brilliant people working for them. They can, in fact, provide great products, or at least pretty good ones, if they are just allowed to create. And thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not always so easy in MicrosoftÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s elaborate corporate hierarchy

Take, for example, MicrosoftÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s keyboards. Maybe you didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know, but one of the most prolific Mac authors on the planet, Bob Ã¢â‚¬Å“Dr. MacÃ¢â‚¬Â LeVitus, uses one of their Ã¢â‚¬Å“ComfortÃ¢â‚¬Â keyboards, which orients the main keypad in a slightly curved fashion, for greater ergonomic support. Take it from me, since I have one as well, it works extremely well, and the learning curve is very, very brief, since itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not quite as drastic as the models where the keyboard is divided into separate parts.

Microsoft also makes a terrific wireless mouse too, which accompanies its Comfort keyboard as part of its Wireless Laser Desktop for Mac, and it is nearly as good as the excellent Logitech MX Revolution in many respects. Yes, weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re talking about world-class products here.